This summer our family went on a trip to the east coast. We started in Boston, Massachusetts and then ended in Yorktown, Virgina. It was one of my favorite things we have ever done. Our children have been studying US History via A Living History of Our World series by Angela O’Dell. They studied the Civil War through the Revolutionary war last year and so we took them on a grand field trip of sorts to see those places they studied. What an experience it was. One of my favorite stops on the route was Salem, Massachusetts. We studied the famous witch trials that took place there and so we decided to make that one of our stops. The memorial of the trial was sad and a wonderful reminder of how important it is to learn of our history in order to not let it repeat itself. The witch trials and all of the “witch” themed places however, were not the reason that it became a favorite. I am from a state and town where not much history is preserved and so the appreciation of that preservation is huge in my book. Such a quaint town Salem turned out to be. So many old cobblestone roads, original houses of the many sailors and captains that lived in them hundreds of years a go, and such a peaceful, calm air within the town which I find not only refreshing but ironic due to the town’s history of pain and chaos. Another gem of the town was the fact that the Nathaniel Bowditch family lived there. If you haven’t read the 6th grade book of Carry On Mr. Bowditch, I encourage you to do that. He was an amazing man who was self-taught and saved many a sailor’s life. I encourage you to not take for granted the hidden history that may be in your backyard!
* A Living History of Our World can be purchased online at https://www.queenshomeschooling.com/
* Carry On Mr. Bowditch was written by Jean Lee Latham
Waters of Salem
the attic awaits 